Director of Studio Operations

Welcome to the world of land-based gaming. At Light & Wonder, it's all about the games, and our Gaming team builds cutting-edge technology, products, and content for the most iconic casinos and operators across the globe.

At Studio X, we create games that are fun, unique, and emotionally unforgettable - experiences that stay with players long after they have left the casino.

We believe the most powerful games are built on story. Every mechanic, every frame of animation, every line of code exists in service of a narrative that moves people.

To bring those stories to life, we unite Game Design, Mathematics, Art, Animation, Engineering, Test, and Product Management under a single creative vision - because great games aren't made in silos. They're made when every discipline pulls in the same direction, toward the same feeling, towards the same moment of wonder.

Job Summary:

This role serves as the operational and financial backbone for Studio X, based in the Las Vegas offices. The position is responsible for forecasting, managing, and analyzing P&L statements across quarterly, semi-annual, and annual cycles, while supporting the Vice President and senior studio leadership in overseeing day-to-day studio operations, expense management, and resource planning to ensure products are delivered on time and within budget.

The role acts as a key liaison across multiple internal stakeholders - including corporate finance, marketing, product management, game test, platform, and technology teams - to align studio pipelines, production schedules, commercialization strategies, and technology roadmaps with broader company goals. Additionally, the position drives operational reviews, leads business analysis, and supports medium- to long-term planning efforts. A strong emphasis is placed on continuous improvement, with the expectation that the individual will identify and execute initiatives that enhance efficiency, eliminate obstacles, and optimize studio processes.

EssentialJobFunctions:

• Forecast, compile, manage, administer, and aggregate discrete quarterly, semi-annual, and annual P&L statements for all game studios operating in the Las Vegas offices.

• Assist the Vice President and senior studio leadership with oversight and guidance on all day-to-day operational activities of the game studios to include both operating and capital expense management to help ensure development and delivery schedules of all studio products are met in a timely manner and within specified budget parameters and to ensure the studio has the personnel and resources required to meet production targets.

• Partner with Studio leadership to oversee game pipelines, manage production schedules, and ensure milestone targets are met on time.

• Liaise with corporate finance executives to ensure studio portfolio strategy and financial goal alignment with company targets.

• Liaise with corporate marketing and Product management executives to ensure comprehensive coverage for commercialization strategies and product launch plans.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Game Test, GDK, and Platform teams to align on studio deliverables, confirm dependencies, and maintain consistent delivery timelines.

• Quantify and analyze studio P&L performance to help identify ways of increasing product development, performance and efficiency and to help the Vice President identify areas in need of additional focus.

• Manage Studio operations, budget status, equipment and software availability, and other company capabilities.

• Drives operational reviews and leads business analysis including revenue, customer, and market analysis.

• Support the organization on medium/long-term planning including business potential, resourcing and organizational design.

• Improves operational excellence through identification and execution of initiatives that create efficiency, remove obstacles, or create improved processes and approaches to the business.

Education:

• A bachelor's degree in business, Finance, Operations Management, or a related field. An MBA or equivalent advanced degree.

Experience:

• Financial Management & P&L Ownership - Candidates should have 10+ years of direct experience managing P&L statements, budgeting, and financial forecasting. This includes hands-on work with quarterly, semi-annual, and annual financial cycles, capital vs. operating expense management, and the ability to translate financial data into actionable business insights. Experience with studio or product-level P&L is a strong plus.

• Operations Management - 10+ years managing day-to-day business operations in a fast-paced, multi-team environment. This should include experience overseeing resource planning, equipment/software asset management, headcount planning, and production scheduling - ideally in a game development or software development context.

• Game Production & Pipeline Oversight - 5+ years working closely with game development pipelines, milestone tracking, and production schedules. Should be fluent in game development lifecycles (pre-production through launch) and comfortable working alongside creative and technical production teams.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Demonstrated experience working across multiple departments - finance, marketing, technology, QA/test, and product management - to align on deliverables and dependencies. Experience serving as an operational liaison between studio-level and corporate-level leadership is highly valued.

• Strategic Planning & Business Analysis - 10+ years conducting business analysis, including revenue modeling, market analysis, and customer analysis. Experience supporting medium-to-long-term planning initiatives, organizational design, and portfolio strategy alignment with executive leadership.

• Executive Communication & Stakeholder Management - Proven ability to communicate with and present to senior executives (VP, SVP, CTO, corporate finance). Experience preparing executive-level reporting, operational reviews, and strategic recommendations is essential. A Chief of Staff or senior business operations background often fulfills this requirement well.

• Process Improvement & Operational Excellence - Experience identifying operational inefficiencies and leading initiatives to streamline processes, remove blockers, and implement scalable solutions. Familiarity with frameworks like Lean, Agile, or OKRs is a plus.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, bend, use hands, operate a computer, and possess specific vision abilities, including close and distance vision and the ability to adjust focus while working with computers and business equipment.

Work Conditions:

The work conditions are representative and typical of similar jobs in comparable organizations. Full-time, on-site role at our studio; 5 days per week.

Light & Wonder and its affiliates (collectively, L&W) are engaged in highly regulated gaming businesses. As a result, certain L&W employees may, among other things, be required to obtain a gaming or other license(s), undergo background investigations or security checks, or meet certain standards dictated by law, regulation or contracts.

In order to ensure L&W complies with its regulatory and contractual commitments, as a condition to hiring and continuing to employ its employees, L&W requires all of its employees to meet those requirements that are necessary to fulfill their individual roles. As a prerequisite to employment with L&W (to the extent permitted by law), you shall be asked to consent to L&W conducting a due diligence/background investigation on you.

This job description should not be interpreted as all-inclusive; it is intended to identify major responsibilities and requirements of the job. The employee in this position may be requested to perform other job-related tasks and responsibilities than those stated above.

Light & Wonder is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. If you'd like more information about your equal employment opportunity rights as an applicant under the law, please click here for EEOC Poster.